Our framework eroding fast

Updated 3:20 pm, Friday, January 11, 2013

There are a number of ways of “dating” history. The most popular is by centuries. “Eighteenth century” or “20th century” usually evokes some sort of vision or recognition for most of us. Another is by dynasties, as with ancient Egypt, or China and Japan (Qing, Meiji, etc.) when emperors were in fashion.

A more modern way to encapsulate history is by socio-economic eras. Thus we have “feudal society,” “mercantilism”, “industrial,” and “post-industrial,” most of which overlap but can still be defined.

Socio-economic systems are created by need or circumstance. The feudal system that developed in the West saved Europe from barbarians; however, the cure became almost as bad as the disease, giving rise to incessant warfare between the feudalities within a stifling social landscape. The rough and ready capitalism that rose from the merchant class marked a great social and technological advance. Industrialism solved many problems of scarcity, and post-industrialism — the welfare state— eased the ancient curse of socio-economic inequality.

But as they say, every dog has his day, and our present socio-economic compromise has run its course. Or more accurately, we have run it into the ground. It's not just capitalism that's in peril. The whole framework of ideas upon which our society is based is crumbling fast. Put it another way: Call the system “European,” and it's kaput. Our American “kicking the can down the road” practice, so outrageously demonstrated on Dec. 31, shows we're not far behind.

Our politicians and media folk shrink from saying our socio-economic system has had its day, because they have nothing, no elegant solution, to put in its place. Whatever history will call our times, we're in transition from them, and for most of “history” the collapse of social-political systems has been a bloody mess. Look at the agony Europeans endured, transiting from feudalism to Reformation and Renaissance.

Socio-economic eras usually begin as times of progress, hope, and faith. Their endings are usually marked marked by madness, horrors, persecutions, tortures, above a loss of faith, whether secular or religious.

Europeans no longer believe in their old debt-sustained society and values but cannot find a way to escape. “Europe” is failing, but I fear it will not go quietly into the historical dark.

The same thing that killed Athenian democracy in the fifth century B.C. — the people's robbing of the public purse — is killing it today, since society votes itself benefits it refuses to pay for, and therefore benefits the state cannot afford.

Everyone except a few liberal ideologues says the modern credit-founded state is unsustainable as it now exists. But how can we replace a failed secular religion if we have nothing to put in its place?

The modern state would work if everyone, — everyone — accepted radical redistribution, a lowered standard of living, in short, the equality of the anthill. But only a god-emperor could enforce this.

Perhaps the Greeks will again show us the way. But I hope not. We can do without all the burning autos and mobs in the plazas, and politicians who abort payment of honest debt.

The modern state is based on mutual bribery with mythical money and monstrous debt, and the danger of our age is that rational folk can no longer believe in it.